A 40-something Western Canadian who still thinks he's 24. Dreamer, thinker, photographer, traveler, entrepreneur, software developer. Adores women immensely but is still working hard at trying to understand them! :-)

This is my personal blog and primarily focuses on my photography & videography.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Amy Alkon has an interesting blog posting about the nastiness of the Extreme Left vs. the Extreme Right. I didn't know it until now, but it turns out that her political views are very similar to my own: A fiscal conservative but a pragmatic libertarian. And her observations about which groups get the most nasty when you dare to disagree with them very much parallels my own experiences.

We're not the only ones. Dennis Miller, a well known comedian, TV personality, and radio talkshow host, has frequently commented on the differences. When his views were mostly left of center he was mildly rebuked by some conservatives. But now that some (repeat, some) of his views are right of center, the vitriolic scorn and hate he has received by so many on the left is nothing short of shameful for the so-called "progressive" movement. Note: I always put "progressive" in quotes because it's a false label. On many issues, left of center views are not progressive (read "positive") whatsoever. I will forever remember one caller saying, "You know Dennis, for several decades I always thought you were a bright, clever guy but now, after you've sided with Bush on the Iraq War, I think you're a complete idiot." Miller calmly responded: "So for a long time you thought I was quite a smart guy but now, just because I disagree with you on one issue, you've completely reversed your entire thinking about me? Such wise reflection there."

I have also read comments from several gay men, such as this one. While some family & friends had some difficulty accepting these men when they came out of the closet, it compared not a whit to the scorn they suffered when they came out of the closet, so to speak, with their political views. Is it very progressive of a "progressive" to ostracize all those who don't follow the group think of the sheep herd?

I know for a fact that I've been ostracized by many so-called friends for my political views. My ongoing support for Stephen Harper and my continued support for the longterm goals of the Iraq War (though I detest Bush's refusal to curtail the growth of the public sector) has left me outside the herd for years. Many felt that they could make me switch my views through ridicule. How wrong they were. All I ever wanted to do was discuss the issues, using facts. When it became clear to them that their facts were minimal and their rhetorical talking points could not be backed up, they got angry. Now they've just stopped talking with me. C'est la vie!

Another point of contention has been the issue of Global Warming. For some time the likes of Al Gore and David Suzuki got away with preposterous statements like "the debate is over" and "there are those like us who love the planet and then there are the global warming deniers". What's become crystal clear is that no scientific debate is ever over. In fact, I heard a commentator say the other day that Gore and Suzuki have about 2 more years left. Then it'll become patently clear that the earth is not in a warming trend but rather in a cooling one. As for the "denier" label, I can think of nothing more horrific and insulting to the survivors of the Nazi Holocaust than using this word. A writer in Vancouver expands on this. Anyone who has ever uttered the phrase "global warming denier" to silence someone they're arguing with owes a profound apology to the 6 Millions Jews and others who lives were extinguished by Hitler & Co.

"Progressives" who meet me anew don't know what to make of my views on global warming et al. When I say that I'm against carbon taxes, am against carbon credits, and am in support of initiatives like twinning the Port Mann Bridge, their natural inclination is to start throwing nasty pejoratives at me about how I'm not helping the environment. That's when the fun begins. I ask them what kind of vehicle they drive, how much they drive to work, and what sort of home they live in. In every situation to date, my carbon footprint is exceedingly less than theirs!

My most recent "effort" to keep myself outside of the herd are my views on Barack Obama. Up until early February I was optimistic that he was a positive force for change on the American political scene. But then I started listening to him. Yikes! Not only is he more left wing than even Jimmy Carter (and that's saying a lot!) but he changes his views more quickly than a skier on a slalom course. He's just a politician like any other and even more of a politician than most. What irks and saddens me though is how so many of his supporters instantly call anyone a racist who dares to criticize him or his policies. Very convenient but very, very lazy. And intellectually weak to the extreme.

I fear that the next few months are going to be very nasty ones in the history of the United States. Which brings us back full circle to what Amy Alkon said about where most nastiness comes from in her experiences. She's not alone.

5 comments:

Thanks for the link. The Dennis thing is right on. And I respect that you say you LISTENED to Barack Obama, and made a decision about him. This is the behavior of a thinking person -- all too rare around these parts, what with the order to the "progressives" to come over here and drop turds.

Indeed, I DID listen to Obama. I think it would be a great thing for the U.S. to have a Black president one day. Just not this fellow. Unfortunately soooo much of the MSM is behind him and are acting more like spin doctors for him instead of objective journalists.

With Russia's recent actions in Georgia, you can just bet how much Putin & co. (and the despots in Iran) are rubbing their hands with glee, hoping for a wishy-washy leader like Obama to get elected.

Local Vancouver Time

Common Sense Quotations

Current Weather

Current Vancouver Weather

Burrard Street Bridge

Downtown Vancouver

Lions Gate Bridge

Iron Workers Memorial Bridge

About Moi

"Pelalusa" is a glorious Spanish-sounding word that means ... well ... absolutely nothing! The word doesn't actually exist. But it sure sounds like it means something!!
While living in Mexico City in 1996/97 I would often ask my friends the meaning of this word and that. One day I asked what "pelalusa" meant, for it just 'sounded' like a word that would mean something en Español. But alas, it does not.

What's With The Ads?

I've launched a new website called Pelalusa.com. Eventually it'll become a fully fledged social networking site but for now it's just a fun travel site, showcasing my journeys and photography. I hope you enjoy it and I always welcome suggestions to improve it.

This new site will be advertising sponsored. What's different about it though is that 50% of the profits (eventually increasing towards 100%) will be donated to philanthropic efforts such as BC Digital Divide. It'll be a global effort, with a particular focus on technology and education.

So I decided to also allow the ads on here too. Please know that I have no control over their content. If some ad does catch your interest, at least you know where the money will be going.

Day & Night

Favourite Quotes

When I was around 12 years old I wrote the following: "Too many get caught up in the noise of everyday life to hear the symphony of what life is really all about."

"The bigger the government grows, the smaller the individual becomes." -- Dennis Prager

"When you take away a person's need to provide for themselves, you take away their humanity." -- Damon Rexroad

"Life is a gift, not an obligation. So make the very best of every single day you're given!" - Donovan Campbell

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money to spend." -- Margaret Thatcher

"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream-the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits." -- Ronald Reagan

Archive.org

If you'd like to see an amazing site that is full of old commercials, radio programs, and a host of other fascinating memorabilia then click here.

The Cluetrain Manifesto

The Internet is causing an amazing transition to occur about how individuals interact with the companies that they buy from and work for. Most companies are still in denial about even the presence of this change, much to their own peril.
Shown here are the 95 Theses' of the Cluetrain Manifesto:

Smile Time

Multimedia

I've collected together a number of my best flower photos. Each of them has more than sufficient resolution for printing, even as an enlargement. You can download a 46MB Zip file containing many photos by clicking on this image: